Riddle of gunmen who set prison cars alight

A JAIL was placed on high alert last night after hooded gunmen stormed into a staff car park and torched a series of cars.

Witnesses told how the thugs pointed firearms at guards who rushed to the scene outside HMP Birmingham – also known as Winson Green.

Chaos erupted after the two masked gunmen used an anglegrinder to tear a hole in a metal fence before pouring an inflammable liquid over up to 10 cars and setting fire to them.

It is understood that one of the guards bravely chased after the men and got their getaway car’s registration number.

Armed police and firefighters were called to the G4S-run jail. Detective Constable James Farrell said: “Firearms officers were at the prison within minutes, but the offenders had already fled. No one has been injured, but prison staff were understandably alarmed.

“The motive for the attack is unclear, but we are trawling CCTV to trace the car which made off from the scene.”

Workers at nearby businesses said they heard a loud bang and saw flames shoot into the sky. One said: “We’ve heard they pulled a gun on prison staff. They were setting fire to loads of cars for some reason.

“It’s an incredibly brazen thing to do and it’s amazing nobody got hurt.”

Another witness said: “It was like a huge fireball. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was crazy stuff.”